A risk you've scored tells you where the danger is. Linking that risk to the tests, requirements, and defects that address it tells you whether the danger is actually being handled. This traceability is the heart of Risk-Based Testing - and it works in both directions, so the connection is visible no matter where you're.
Why linking matters
When a risk is linked to test cases, you can answer the questions that matter most:
Is our most critical risk actually covered by tests?
Which test cases protect us against a specific risk?
When this risk's defect reopens, which tests should we re-run?
Links also flow into your coverage reporting and surface a risk indicator directly on your test cases, requirements, and defects.
Two directions, one connection
You can create a link from either side, and it instantly appears on both:
From a risk, link out to test cases, requirements, and defects.
From a test case, requirement, or defect view, link to one or more risks.
Link it once on either side and the relationship shows up everywhere.
Linking from a risk
Open a risk to its detail drawer and find the Linked items section (it shows a running count, e.g., "Linked items (3)").
Click Link.
Choose what you're linking: Test case, Requirement, or Defect.
Search and pick one or more items. You can search by title or by ID - including the business number like TC‑204 for a test case.
Click Add link.
Each linked item appears in a list with its type, ID, and title. From there you can open it in a new tab, or remove the link with the Unlink action (you'll confirm at "Unlink this item?"). Before you've linked anything, the section reads "No linked test cases, requirements or defects yet."
Linking from a test case, requirement, or defect
Open any test case, requirement, or defect view and go to its Linked Risks section (or panel). You'll see a small table of the risks tied to that item:
Column | Shows |
ID | The risk's RK‑ number (click to open it) |
Risk | The risk title |
Exposure | The colored severity pill, e.g., 20 · Critical |
To add one, click Link risk, choose a risk from the "Select a risk to link" picker, and confirm. To remove one, use Unlink ("Unlink this risk?"). When nothing is linked yet, you'll see "No risks linked to this item yet."
Seeing risk on your test cases at a glance
Once risks are linked, two columns become available on your Test Case, Requirement, and Defect lists:
Risk Level - a single colored pill showing the highest exposure among all risks linked to that item. A test case linked to one Medium and one Critical risk shows Critical, because that's the worst case it guards against. Items with no linked risks show -.
Risks - the actual linked risks, listed out.
You can filter the list by Risk Level (Critical, High, Medium, Low, or No risk), which makes it easy to pull up "every test case that protects a Critical risk" - a natural way to prioritize a test run.
Permissions and a few guardrails
Linking is an edit action. You need Edit rights on risks to add or remove links from either side.
Referenced or in-review test cases are protected. You can't link or unlink risks on a test case that's shared in from another project or currently under review - the unlink action is hidden and the change is blocked, so links can't be altered while a test case is locked down.